Cramps

English is not my first language and I have been curious about this for a while. When you guys say you’re having “cramps”, what is it you mean, what kind of sensation? To me, a cramp is a muscle spasm/contraction, which can occur anywhere in a body and is restrictive of movement in that area. So when I personally say I’m having cramps, I mean uterine spasms that feel like mini-contractions. I often read women saying they’re having “one-sided (implantation) cramps”, what is it they usually mean? Do people have spasms on their ovarian sides? I tend to have quick sharp pains on the side I ovulated from, which I assume is corpus luteum activity. I don’t refer to them as “cramps” as they feel more like a pinch or a quick stab, sometimes a dull/pulling ache, but that to me isn’t a “cramp”. Sorry to be such a nerd but I’ve been trying to get my head around it for a while, so if someone could help that would be great 😂

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Cramp does generally mean a muscle spasm that you could have anywhere, but at least for me, when when I say implantation cramps it feels like a dull aching pain or a pinching/pulling, sort of light stabbing feel. That is how it felt when I had implantation pain. And it was on one side. If you Google it, people tend to use the term cramping in the same sentence as implantation pain as it is closely aligned in our mind to period pain, or what we commonly call period cramps too. Implantation pain is definitely not the same as sudden sharp cramps you can experience anywhere in the body, at least not for me. But using the term cramps in relation to the uterus/implantation does make me understand what is meant by it "a mild cramping or pulling sensation". I'm a bit tired and rambling but hope that might help a bit?! When I have experienced implantation pain in my two pregnancies it was more on one side of my abdomen, whereas the Internet often says it is felt in the centre of the lower abdomen

@Tanya haha I really appreciate the rambling! It does make sense. So when you say one side of abdomen, you mean like on side where ovaries are, correct? Cause to me ovaries aren’t a muscle structure so they cannot spasm and contract by definition, whereas pulling or cramping is something that is felt in a muscle… soz I’m confusing myself 😆 I also didn’t mean a random sharp pain just anywhere, like I’d have a sharp pain where I feel ovulation. The first time i was pregnant I wasn’t trying so didn’t notice anything until I tested. 2nd time I had a distinct, sharp stabbing in my lower back along with both my ovaries feeling like I’m ovulating again and that was “implantation”. As you can guess I’m in 2ww now and it’s been a while, so I’m noticing things and wondering if these are the cramps people are talking about cause for the life of me, I can’t understand how there could be literal cramps like period but on the side, you know? 😂

So it is more like cramping in the uterus rather than the ovary from what I remember, just more on one side. So quite a lot like mild period cramps but in one focused area. It felt a bit more like a tug with sharper bits of pain at times too. Hope that helps?!

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